The name will get your attention; the taste will seal the deal. That’s what a soup by Chef Paul Brasfield and the Bin 612 team did at the 2016 SOUPer Bowl in Starkville. The event presented in February by the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau offered the public an opportunity to see local chefs at work and taste their creativity. When the votes were all in, Bin 612’s recipe for “Drunken Chicken, Sausage, Shrimp and Corn Chowder finished with Mexican Bruschetta” took the first place prize and Best in Show.
“My favorite thing to do is make soup,” said Brasfield Monday. “You can do anything with it; it’s a liquid meal you can make just incredible.”
Brasfield, a Jackson native, is chef de cuisine at the Starkville restaurant located at 612 University Drive. He talked about the award-winning chowder Monday.
The Drunken Chicken soup had its beginnings in a preliminary version proposed by Bin 612 sous-chef Aaron Martin. With Brasfield’s input and a bit of brainstorming, the recipe developed into a flavorful blend that celebrates “keeping it local” to the Golden Triangle area and Mississippi.
“We use local free-range chicken from Cackleberry Farms in Prairie, Country Pleasin sausage from Florence, Mississippi, and shrimp that comes from the Mississippi coast,” said Brasfield, who consistently promotes the use of locally grown produce in season.
The “drunken” in the chicken comes from preparing the chicken using alcoholic beverages. Methods are available online. Brasfield prepares his with beer, on the grill.
The winning chowder delivers on savory.
“And it has a little tang to it — it’s got the tomatoes, the balsamic vinegar, cilantro … I put some corn in there as well as several other ingredients. It worked out so well,” Brasfield said.
On the recipe prep scale of “easy” to “difficult, the chef puts this one at “difficult.”
“Don’t expect just to whip it up,” said Brasfield.
Soup showcase
SOUPer Bowl organizers were pleased with this year’s event, which was held at the Dawg House Sports Grill.
“We were thrilled with the turnout for the seventh annual SOUPer Bowl,” said Jennifer Prather, Special Events coordinator with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, on starkville.org. “All our participating restaurants went the extra mile to create unique and creative soups, and the attendees enjoyed the opportunity to network with the chefs from our local restaurants.”
For Brasfield and the team, garnering the first place and Best in Show awards was gratifying, but win or not, the best reward each year is the reaction of those who come to taste.
“It was incredible just seeing the reaction on the faces,” Brasfield remarked. “You know you’ve done something right when people come back for more.”
Also placing in the 2016 SOUPer Bowl top three were Old Venice Pizza Co. at second, with its Crawfish Chowder; and Commodore Bob’s Yacht Club in third, for a Shrimp and Cantaloupe Bisque.
Prather praised the eclectic offerings prepared by participating chefs.
“The culinary scene in Starkville is growing and thriving,” she said, “and the Partnership is proud to be able to promote that through this event.”
DRUNKEN CHICKEN, SAUSAGE, SHRIMP AND CORN CHOWDER
Finished with Mexican Bruschetta
2 yellow onions
2 green bell peppers
1/2 stalk celery
4 bulbs peeled garlic
1 quart cream
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 pound any local ground sausage
1 pound shrimp
3 corn on the cob
2 cups sherry
2 cups roux (butter and flour mixture)
1 pound pulled drunken chicken, room temperature
4 tablespoons of chipotle paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper, to taste
Grilled cheese focaccia crouton
Minced parsley
MEXICAN BRUSCHETTA
3 tomatoes
1/2 small red onion
3 cloves peeled garlic
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2 corn on the cob
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.